Genetics: Ethical, Legal and Social Issues

Genetics: Ethical, Legal and Social Issues

Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Public Health to Host Conference on Genetic Testing

WHAT: On Feb. 4, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine’s Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy will co-host with the Illinois Health Ethics Committee Forum and DePaul University College of Law’s Health Law Institute a one-day conference addressing legal, ethical and social issues that arise from genetic testing.
The conference will include a screening of the movie “In the Family” and a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker, Joanna Rudnick. The documentary follows Rudnick as she comes face-to-face with her own mortality. At the age of 31, she had to wrestle with a positive genetic test result and make the impossible decision of dashing dreams of having her own children by having her ovaries and breasts removed or risk incredible odds of developing cancer.
The Neiswanger Institute’s Katherine Wasson, PhD, MPH, will speak on the controversial issue of direct-to-consumer testing in “Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: What’s all the fuss about?” Her research examines the views, attitudes and ethical concerns raised by primary-care patients making decisions about direct-to-consumer genetic tests.
Nanette Elster, JD, MPH, DePaul University College of Law, Health Law Institute, will present the “The Double-Edged Sword of the Double Helix: Legal and Ethical Issues Raised by Genetics.” She will address issues such as the patentability of genetic material and the impact of genetic information on familial relationships.
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
WHERE: Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
2160 S. First Avenue
Maywood IL 60513
REGISTER: http://bioethics.lumc.edu/news_and_events/IssuesEthics_2011.html
MEDIA: For media inquiries, please contact Evie Polsley at epolsley@lumc.edu or call (708) 216-5313 or (708) 417-5100.

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine is located in a state-of-the-art educational facility on the campus of Loyola University Medical Center, 2160 S. First Ave., Maywood. The school, which provides instruction to 520 medical students, has been in the vanguard of institutions that have created new, active learning curricula to help students meet the challenges of 21st century health care. An estimated 8,000 to 9,000 students compete each year for 130 openings in the Stritch medical school's first-year class. In addition to the more than 500 students, Loyola's medical educational programs provide instruction and training to an estimated 400 residents and 100 fellows.